This iteration of Change it Up! is specifically designed to interrupt harm in our community due to anti-Black racism.
After the public death of George Floyd, the cry to dismantle systemic racism has never been louder. The image of a police officer’s foot on the neck of an African American man is emblematic of the racial violence experienced by enslaved Africans who were brought to the US as free labor. In response to this atrocious event, protests against anti-Black racism broke out all over the country leaving leaders in all sectors to examine how they can interrupt racist policies, practices, and behaviors.
The College of Engineering believes that one important step to interrupting conscious and unconscious racism is to reach members of its community to identify and disrupt harm whenever and wherever present.
The United States was built on systemic and institutional racism and we as citizens cannot escape its effects. Anti-Black racism stems from slavery and despite legal and social actions, remains stubbornly engrained into our institutions and way of life.